Total premium is the wrong number to compare. Reprice on the same census instead.
When enrollment shifts, total premium moves for reasons that have nothing to do with the carrier’s rates.
Why total premium misleads.
Three things move the total that the carrier did not change.
Enrollment Changes
People join, leave and change tiers. The bill moves even if rates do not.
Plan Mix Shifts
If employees move to a different plan, the total changes with no rate change at all.
Contribution Changes
What the employer pays and what employees pay can change the total shown.
How we reprice.
The same people, the same plans, different rates.
Hold the Census
We use one census for every comparison.
Apply Each Rate Set
Current, renewal and alternative rates are applied to it.
Compare the Results
The differences that remain are rate and plan differences.
What you can do with it.
Clean numbers support better decisions.
Read the Ask
See what the carrier is really asking for.
Price Alternatives
Put other carriers or plan designs on the same footing.
Set Contributions
Model what each employer contribution choice does to cost.
Questions Employers Ask About This
Do you need a current census?
Yes. A clean, current census is what makes the comparison valid.
Does it work for small groups?
Yes. The method is the same on a small group or a large one.
Can we get the repriced numbers?
Yes. They come in writing as part of the datum.
Related guides.
From Renewals to Results: The Broker Playbook
The full playbook.
Trend vs. Group Experience: How to Read a Renewal
Trend versus experience.
Carrier Move vs. Negotiation: Naming the Win
Which win is which.
Want this applied to your renewal?
Send us the renewal and we will run it through DATUM and show you where the number comes from.
Your renewal letter
Your census
Your current plan documents
Your renewal date
Rough answers are fine. We build the numbers from there.
Laws and rules referenced
Employee Benefit News: Renewals to Results — Opinion piece on brokers moving from plan shopping to data-driven advisory work.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
Switch to CFH. Unhappy with your broker? Your employees won’t notice. You will. →
Cookies on This Site
We use cookies to keep the site working properly and to understand how it is used. You can decline anything that is not essential. See our Privacy Policy for the detail.
- Essential — needed for the site to load and for you to move around it. These cannot be switched off.
- Analytics — tell us which pages get read, so we know what is worth writing more of.
- Advertising — set by third parties such as ad and social platforms to measure and target campaigns.